Related papers: Double blocking sets of size $3q-1$ in $\mathrm{PG…
In this paper, we show that a set of q+a hyperplanes, q>13, a<(q-10)/4, that does not cover PG(n,q), does not cover at least q^(n-1)-aq^(n-2) points, and show that this lower bound is sharp. If the number of non- covered points is at most…
Separating hash families are useful combinatorial structures which generalize several well-studied objects in cryptography and coding theory. Let $p_t(N, q)$ denote the maximum size of universe for a $t$-perfect hash family of length $N$…
This article contains a proof of the MDS conjecture for $k \leq 2p-2$. That is, that if $S$ is a set of vectors of ${\mathbb F}_q^k$ in which every subset of $S$ of size $k$ is a basis, where $q=p^h$, $p$ is prime and $q$ is not and $k \leq…
A $2$-semiarc is a pointset ${\mathcal S}_k$ with the property that the number of tangent lines to ${\mathcal S}_k$ at each of its points is two. Using some theoretical results and computer aided search, the complete classification of…
We show that every planar triangulation on $n>10$ vertices has a dominating set of size $n/7=n/3.5$. This approaches the $n/4$ bound conjectured by Matheson and Tarjan [MT'96], and improves significantly on the previous best bound of…
In this paper, we prove that the smallest even sets in ${\rm PG}(n,q)$, i.e. sets that intersect every line in an even number of points, are cylinders with a hyperoval as base. This fits into a more general study of dual projective…
A 3-simplex is a collection of four sets A_1,...,A_4 with empty intersection such that any three of them have nonempty intersection. We show that the maximum size of a set system on n elements without a 3-simplex is $2^{n-1} +…
In a projective plane $\Pi_{q}$ (not necessarily Desarguesian) of order $q$, a point subset $\mathcal{S}$ is saturating (or dense) if any point of $\Pi_{q}\setminus \mathcal{S}$ is collinear with two points in $\mathcal{S}$. Modifying an…
We consider the orbits of the group $G=PGL_2(q)$ on the points, lines and planes of the projective space $PG(3,q)$ over a finite field $\mathbb F_q$ of characteristic different from $2$ and $3$. The points of $PG(3,q)$ can be identified…
Let $\mathrm{PG}(3,q)$ be the projective space of dimension three over the finite field with $q$ elements. Consider a twisted cubic in $\mathrm{PG}(3,q)$. The structure of the point-plane incidence matrix in $\mathrm{PG}(3,q)$ with respect…
We consider when the projective special linear group over a finite field defines a $3$-design with a cyclic starter block. We will show that the equivalences of the existence of such $3$-$(q+1,5,3)$ and $3$-$(q+1,10,18)$ designs for a prime…
We prove that a minimal $t$-fold blocking set in a finite projective plane of order $n$ has cardinality at most \[\frac{1}{2} n\sqrt{4tn - (3t + 1)(t - 1)} + \frac{1}{2} (t - 1)n + t.\] This is the first general upper bound on the size of…
The subject of this paper is the study of small complete arcs in $\mathrm{PG}(2,q)$, for $q$ odd, with at least $(q+1)/2$ points on a conic. We give a short comprehensive proof of the completeness problem left open by Segre in his seminal…
A {\em generalized hyperfocused arc} $\mathcal H $ in $PG(2,q)$ is an arc of size $k$ with the property that the $k(k-1)/2$ secants can be blocked by a set of $k-1$ points not belonging to the arc. We show that if $q$ is a prime and…
In a projective plane $\Pi _{q}$ (not necessarily Desarguesian) of order $q,$ a point subset $S$ is saturating (or dense) if any point of $\Pi _{q}\setminus S$ is collinear with two points in$~S$. Using probabilistic methods, the following…
We consider $q$-ary (linear and nonlinear) block codes with exactly two distances: $d$ and $d+\delta$. Several combinatorial constructions of optimal such codes are given. In the linear (but not necessary projective) case, we prove that…
Let $\mathcal{O}$ be a conic in the classical projective plane $PG(2,q)$, where $q$ is an odd prime power. With respect to $\mathcal{O}$, the lines of $PG(2,q)$ are classified as passant, tangent, and secant lines, and the points of…
A $3$-partition of an $n$-element set $V$ is a triple of pairwise disjoint nonempty subsets $X,Y,Z$ such that $V=X\cup Y\cup Z$. We determine the minimum size $\varphi_3(n)$ of a set $\mathcal{E}$ of triples such that for every 3-partition…
It is shown that $m$ disjoint sets with fixed Gaussian volumes that partition $\mathbb{R}^{n}$ with minimum Gaussian surface area must be $(m-1)$-dimensional. This follows from a second variation argument using infinitesimal translations.…
A $4$-general set in ${\rm PG}(n,q)$ is a set of points of ${\rm PG}(n,q)$ spanning the whole ${\rm PG}(n,q)$ and such that no four of them are on a plane. Such a pointset is said to be complete if it is not contained in a larger…